About the CTNP

It all started with a simple idea: novelize one of the greatest stories ever presented in a role-playing game (RPG) and, in so doing, transform it into an enthralling literary great. Today, the Chrono Trigger Novel Project Establishment embodies a mission that reaches beyond the story itself and into the very culture of our modern media.

If you are unfamiliar with the story of Chrono Trigger, please take a moment to view
this page for a briefing.

The Mission:

Mission Statement: With a keen focus on quality,
enhancement, and preservation, to pursue the steps necessary to create and
ultimately publish a full-length novel series based on the video game Chrono
Trigger.

Mission Summary: The Chrono Trigger Novel
Project exists to facilitate the creation and publication of a full-scale novel
based on the video game Chrono Trigger, a novel which itself enhances the
original story through additional scenes, added depth via descriptive detail,
heightened character emotions and interactions, and the filling in of plot holes
as much as feasible. Throughout this endeavor, the stance of the project's
leadership and associates are 1) respectful and fully understanding of
Square-Enix's need for copyright protection and 2) that the correct
circumstances of opportunity and quality warrant extensions of this protection
as a business decision, and that this novel represents such circumstances.
Keeping in accordance with this stance, it is also the goal of this project to
maintain regular and productive contact with Square-Enix regarding the
opportunities and possibilities which accompany the successful outcome of this
project.

Enriching a timeless classic like never before.
The CTNP came into existence for one main end result:
Publication and distribution of the Chrono Trigger
novel as presented and put together by Wayne Kramer (novelist@chronotrigger.info)
and this project. While on the road to reaching this goal, the project has
been established as means of rallying public involvement and, through past
efforts, gaining support for the novel. Today, the primary focus of the
project is on completing the novel itself, maintaining effective contact with
Square-Enix, and keeping the Chrono fan community informed.

It doesn't stop here.
Our mission isn't just about writing a book, however, and
there's actually quite a bit more to it than that. The novel represents a
special link between the worlds of video gaming and literature,
bringing them together in a much more comprehensive way than what has ever been
done before. Bringing the Chrono Trigger story into a novel allows
for captivation, detail, background, character development, and an all-around
experience that the game alone could not provide. As such, the novel
becomes a complement to the game itself, feeding directly from it yet building
upon it at the same time. It thus creates a new market which is different
yet intimately related to the RPG itself, possibly opening the door for novels
of similar caliber from other games in light of its potential success.

Parents and gamers alike will find this project invaluable.
This is a new market which not only appeals to gamers but also to parents as
children and teens take an interest in both the game itself and the novel
that supplements it. Through a novel of this nature, gamers can look forward to expanding their experience beyond the game itself, and people can take comfort in knowing that time will be spent reading in addition to just gaming. This project is also about perseverance, showing both
enthusiastic and doubtful fans alike that any dream can be accomplished if
accompanied by passion, drive, acumen, patience, attention to detail, and faith.

The Actions:

With such a massive effort, there is a lot of action
involved. Simply put: one person really can't (or, at least, shouldn't) do it alone. While
I've tried and succeeded in doing quite a bit, I have found that it is now
increasingly necessary to rely on the skills and willful efforts of some of the
most trustworthy, reliable, and elite supporters of this project. These
supporters make up the project's
Editorial Team and otherwise contribute to the project through involvement
at the project's forum,
assistance with specific needs (images, illustrations, development, etc.), and
spreading the word.

Today's Novel Project focuses on two critical goals:
completing the novel and maintaining direct communication with Square-Enix.
The objectives in terms of these goals are to complete at least two full-length
novels covering this story based on Chrono Trigger and achieve
face-to-face discussions with the appropriate corporate officials to identify
and execute the steps which must take place in order to make the novel's
publication a reality. Aside from occasional information updates on the
website, all work in the project goes into achieving these results.

The Novel:

So great are the positive aspects in this
novel that the following highlights represent only a partial list. Here is
some information that you may find interesting:

Projected Number of Pages: There are approximately
298 single-spaced Word document pages covering "Book 1." "Book 2" is
well underway, and the entire story should be roughly 600 Word document pages
(default margins and 12 point Times New Roman font). By my own
calculations, this amounts to approximately 517 pages per book in standard
published form.Projected Number of Books: 2Projected Number of Chapters: 21 in Book 1 and another projected 24 for
Book 2Average Pages per Chapter: 15A Few Highlights:

• Bonus Chapter 1 preceding the events of the game

• Crono talks

• Expanded dialogue for all characters

• New scenes (meant to correlate with the existing
storyline)

• New characters (limited use and generally of otherwise non-active characters; see Demo Chapter 4 as an example)

• Prologue, epilogue, and glossary planned in addition to
the actual story

• Currency designation of "gil" instead of just "G"

• Deeper back story for the Kingdom of Zeal and the ancient
legend, including mention of an Ancient Language

• Written using third person omniscient writing style

The Corporate Field:

Square-Enix Co., Ltd. is a company with many very well-instated
policies. It makes perfect sense that they would create a policy to
automatically shut down any attempts at publications that include stories that
their writers wrote and created. As supporters and activists in this
project, it is very important to understand the grounds by which Square-Enix
makes these policies. Every day, individuals are seeking to write comics,
short stories, poems, and books that use copyrighted names belonging to the
company. The policy makes sense because it is the easiest and fastest way
to deal with these issues, and it protects the quality and integrity of the
copyrighted work. This is the best way for the company to protect
their brand and keep it unique within their corporate guidelines and name.

Square-Enix is a solid and well-established corporation
and will listen to any new venture that can benefit them and the gaming
community. They may not be officially prepared to accept a project or
request of publication that is as serious, well-adapted, and comprehensive as
this, at least not one coming directly from the fan base. Players
of RPG's always want something more, whether that be a good sequel or something
totally different like a novel or a movie. In many cases, they want them
all, so why not benefit everyone and provide them? Obviously, as we have
seen with the creation of a Final Fantasy movie, we know that an
exception can be made somewhere down the line by an individual who has a
mind open enough to understand this and to act upon it. This movie,
however, was an extremely costly venture for the company that it may not want to
repeat without more promise of success. A novel, however, is considerably
lower in risk and cost.

For reasons also mentioned in the "mission" section above,
this novel can only benefit Square. It's a product that will be ready for
them, reducing their work to a minimum. It is also my understanding that the novel must pass their
standards, and I will work with them to make sure that any concerns,
inconsistencies, and requested changes that they may bring up are addressed.
Publishing the novel exposes the story of Chrono Trigger to the
mainstream public (especially with the proper marketing and distribution) in a
new and sophisticated way,
opening the door to new opportunities and potentials. Not only could new
interest spring up for role-playing games, but a successful novel could very
possibly lead to new ventures, even including a movie, a Chrono Trigger
remake, or a new game in the series.

In light of this, Square USA, as I have seen in the past (note that this was before Square Co. and Enix merged), is completely powerless to
take a decision such as this completely under their wing. Though they are the quickest and easiest outlet
for a project born
and created in the USA, the true origins of the story and its game go to the
country of Japan, where the main headquarters of Square-Enix reside. While
the American office may be able to act as a liaison to the main headquarters, it is
there in Japan that this novel will have to be presented to the officials who will
evaluate the opportunities for corporate benefit represented in the cause of the Chrono Trigger novel.

There, the corporation of Square-Enix must realize that the
acceptance of this novel is only beneficial to everyone.

The Future:

It is certainly the ultimate hope of this project that
Square-Enix will soften their hearts, open their minds, and listen to what we RPG
lovers have to say: A gaming novel industry is a successful industry! With so many RPG's out there with rich storylines, (such as the one in Chrono
Trigger), the scope of this single novel project could very easily broaden
and pioneer the field of gaming novels to a new level. The sure success of
this CT novel would undoubtedly shine a bright light at the end of the
tunnel for all great RPG's, including many that have been produced by Square
themselves, meaning only good things for the company to come from this effort.

Square-Enix must be brought to the enlightenment that this
novel is a very serious effort and not just a comic, fanfic, or reminiscence of
a great gaming story. It is the full conversion of a very rich RPG story
into a full-length novel that everyone (not just the gaming community) can
enjoy. Full quality control of its every aspect is in place. To broaden the scope of RPG stories into the literary world
increases the richness of the stories, allows the stories to be shared and
compared with other published greats, makes parents happy by encouraging their
children to read as a supplement to gaming, and opens and links both industries
into something new, lucrative, and very potentially successful.